Screen test
Workbook
Above are the pages from my notebook for this project. You’ll see everything from lists to planning to sketches of the set for layout and pack in. I ended up doing a lot of hands on work and most of the budget/timelining for thie project so my notebook was mostly used during the production to plan on and write downnotes for moving forward.
Planning
We started the planning process for this production a week before we started the build all while in lockdown and unable to enter the building. Not being able to go and see our current stock ended up being the most challenging part as I attempted to compile a list of all the lumber we would need to order to help complete this project. With help from some of my classmates helping lead this project we created an estimated budget for lumber, paint, and a live document of a timeline for the build.
The most daunting part for us was that because of COVID we now had 3 weeks to complete a previously 5 week build. All of which being the biggest film set our department had ever built.
Set 3D models
Build week #1
Monday 13th Sept
The first day we expected to recieve our lumber order which did not end up arriving.
So since we could not start building any new flats to help complete the set we started with a full production bay clean up. This was to help clear the space for the massive set we were going to build. Afterwards we pulled out all our current flats and started cleaning them up so they would be fresh to be combined with new flats for smooth walls.
The last thing we did before the end of the day was pull out our heavy window flat and start assembling the far wall of the set.
Tuesday 14th Sept
Day 2 of the build continued with more flat clean up until our lumber order arrived. From there we could have a team split off from the old flats to start constructing new ones.
We needed a number of new normal 3m tall flats including a list of custom sized flats to construct all the archways in the farmhouse set.
Wednesday 15th Sept
Day 3 was a continuation of building new flats and custom sized ones for the set. Most of the crew was split up on that task until the afternoon when a few broke off to start constructing the bay window flats for the living room part of the set. After we finished making the new flats we still had to fill in the small gaps for the brad nails and where sheets of MDF meet. We used Gib filler for this because of how quickly it would dry so we could then move onto sanding in the same day.
As well in the day we pulled out the large window we built for Mise En Scene earlier in the year. This will be repurposed for the kitchen window and Tulsey Town ice cream shop on the other side.
Thursday 16th Sept
Day 4 of week one was when we were ready to start putting up the rest of the main farmhouse set. The bay window had be fully constructed with it’s CNCed window frame in the skin sheet of MDF.
As we went along contructing the set we came around to the first archway from the set’s foyer to it’s living room and discovered a height problem. As it turned out the flats in the sketchup model we had based all the archway dimensions off of were 3.2m instead of 3m like our flats. So Jason offered to cut the unneeded 0.2m off the archway pieces so we could continue on our way.
By the end it felt like we had accomplished a lot with most of the set standing up for us to take in.
Friday 17th Sept
Day 5 of the build meant the rest of the set was ready to be put up. I spent the entire day helping put up all the flats to finish off the main set.
We used wood beams behind flats for attaching corners that were across the face of a flat. We used blocks to help hold up an arch piece that was double skinned so we would not clamp it in place.
At the end of the day we had the entire set up in the whole space of the production bay and we took a moment to take it in. With one week down we were on our way to finishing this build.
Build week #2
Monday 20th Sept
For day 6 of the build I spent a good chunk of the day constructing the triangle for the outside of Tulsey Town. Once that was made and attached to the set I jumped on helping where I could on jobs other people had already started around.
Tuesday 21st sept
For day 7 I jumped around helping manage people on the different jobs being done as well as help coordinate with Design on getting the fabric we were going to use for the dinning room walls.
The day did not feel like a lot of big progress was being made but we still were working on tasks that add up in a big way.
Wednesday 22nd sept
We started day 8 like we did every other day with dividing the tasks we aimed to complete amongst the group. My main goals for the day were to complete the roof for Tulsey town which comprised of a main middle awning and two additional side pieces. Then help set up for Therese to come in the next day to help with the paint process for Tulsey.
Thursday 23rd sept
For day 9 of the build I started with measuring out the wood detailing to see how it would all fit inside the set. (This came in handy when we got to pack in later on.)
Afterwards I joined the team that had started staining all the wood detailing pieces for the main set and did that for the rest of the day. (Sooooo much teak)
Friday 24th sept
Day 10 was just a long day working on finishing staining all the wood details for the set. It took our team of 3-4 almost all day to get through all the pieces with one coat.
But boy was it worth it seeing all the pieces pop with grain afterwards. I discussed with Nina (a fellow second year heading the paint/finishes for the project) on the staining and how much variation we would like in the end result. We settled on geing over all the pieces again with a semi gloss varnish mixed with some team stain to help darken the pieces and make the look more like finished wood panels for a home.
Build week #3
monday 27th sept
Day 11 of the build meant the start of the final build week and where the set will start to look more and more finished every day. I hopped on helping cut all the fabric we had for wallpapering the house and started in the dinning room.
With the fabric we had all that was left of chosen fabric for the dinning room, while we had half of what we would use for the living room. More of the yellow fabric was on order so we held off on starting there until that arrived.
The fabric worked surprisingly well on the walls and we were very happy with the results. We covered each flat to the edge as we planned to hide the seams with vertical wood beams used in older farm house.
tuesday 28th sept
Day 12 was spent mostly putting up the fabric in the living room after the rest arrived in the morning. Afterwards I helped paint the chosen accent wall in the living room.
We unfortunately had to diverge from the original model and paint accent walls because we did not have enough fabric to cover every surface. In the end though it came out looking amazing especially once we tested it with some of the finished wood detailing.
wednesday 29th sept
Day 13 overall was spent helping manage everyone in the group along side Meg, and making sure everyone had enough people on the tasks they were working on.
Later in the afternoon I pulled myself aside to make the jigs our paint team for pack in would use to marks the lines and wood grain the floor in the theater to simulate a wood board house floor.
thursday 30th sept
Day 14 was a big day in a way because it was the day we planned to pull the entire set down in prep for pack in the next week. We chose the Thursday instead of the Friday because we would not have the first years due tothem having a class the next day.
Before we took down the set in the afternoon I helped move all of the tools and things we had been working on out of the set to clear the space to bring down the walls.
friday 1st oct
Day 15 was a quite day overall since most of the prep ended up being completed the day prior. It felt really odd we were not rushing or scrambling to finish a piece.
Since the 1st years were in a class, we just finished what we needed to get together for painting and assembling the set then all finished by 3pm. It felt really good to have completed such a big project not just faster then it was originally planned but so fast we could take a half day on the last day of the build.
Pack in week
Monday 4th Oct
Day 1 of pack in! This week would be very hectic and very crucial as we had to paint the floor then reassemble the entire set we spent the last 3 weeks making.
The paint team were the first ones in the theater marking up the floor and starting the priming process for wood graining. I was part of leading the build team and while others were prepping pieces to be moved I grabbed a 1st year and made more grid attachement points for a 2nd canvas and the Tulsey town roofs.
In the afternoon once the paint team had started priming the floor the rest of us starting bring up parts of the set. The first pieces we brought were Tulsey which we would assemble first since the kitchen did not need as much detail for wood graining.
Tuesday 5th oct
Day 2 of pack in was when the theater floor started to make some amazing progress. The build team also started to put up as much of the set as we could around the paint team without disrupting their flow. It was starting to take real shape.
This was also the point where myself and Meg from my class had to help lead the pack in because of some problems with Joe who was in charge of pack in.
wednesday 6th oct
Day 3 of pack in was where the set came together with the rest of the flats all being put up. This had be finished on the 3rd day as we had scheduled the rigging of the ceilings to be in the Thursday. After all the walls were up we set on attaching as much of the wood detailing as we could. We were able to cut and put in place all of the wood paneling, the ceiling trim in the dinning room, and prep some of the dado rails before we hit end of day.
thursday 7th oct
A majority of day 4 of pack in was spent rigging all the ceilings around the set. It was a lot of up and down from the grid. It was a huge help to have an outside Toi rigger assisting us on the ground in the process to get everything up.
After all the roofs of the main house were up and we transitioned to getting the pillar for the barn up, one of the 1st years jumped on attaching the rest of the dado rail in the farm house. This was a huge help! Myself and a few other members of the build team joined him in putting up more wood detailing before we hit end of day and we would lose the 1st years for a class the next day.
friday 8th oct
The last day of pack in a very busy day because of a couple of things. One, we did not have the 1st years to help assist us in finishing the final details. And two, Joe who had asked to lead pack in had basically exiled himself from the project and did not come into the theater once despite being in the building.
For a majority of the day it was myself and Meg working as best as we could to put all the rest of the wood detailing over the set to finish without coming in over the weekend. Nina also came to help out despite not having been on the build team because we were working so feverishly with just two people.
The rush of the day led to no pictures being taken by any of us. I had to leave around 5:30pm to make it to work by 6pm, which I felt bad for leaving. Meg ended up staying till 6:15pm finishing attaching the last pieces of the set and clearing the house for the designers to set dress over the weekend.
Dressed Set
Reflection
Overall I would say the build process went extremely well! We managed to finish a massive build in less time then originally allotted to us all without going past 5:30pm or coming in on weekends. It was an amazing experience to work with the 1st years for the first and final time before I graduate. We really could not have done this without them. I would joke with them almost every day about how we’ve set the bar really high for them next year, but in a way I wasn’t joking.
For myself I believe I kept to my goals with this assignment quite well. I assisted Meg in managing the production, and kept myself free from getting pulled in too much with distraction in a large working group. The build helped keep me on task and I was very happy with the work I helped put out.
Pack in did not go as well as I would have liked however. Joe had asked as part of his production role to lead pack in and pack out for this build which we were more then happy to let him do. However by the end of the first day he called a meeting with us 2nd years purely to berate me in front of my class purely because I didn’t do things the exact way he said. The issues he presented could have been easily solved without making a scene by talking to me directly as soon as the incidents happened. All of which did not impede our progress for the day. The next day followed with a bad attitude and multiple 1st years questioning who was leading the pack in by the second day. He seemed to shrink from his role as leader at the time, which myself and Meg had to step in to hold the team. From there on the Wednesday of pack in he didn’t come in at all. Then proceeded to tell us post updating him on our progress that we did not use the order he said to complete everything after it was all still done. This followed by Meg having to lead the day of rigging and not coming to help us at all the Friday despite being in the building led us to have a true disappointment in him. This was not what we expected when he asked to lead pack in then quickly get sour after it starts.
In the end we completed what we set out to do with half the 1st years being out sick for half the time and not all of us in production roles leading the team. It was amazing to be there when the actors saw the set for the first time and I hope that feeling never leaves me. It was the whole reason I wanted to work on this production besides finally working with our 1st years. It was a great build to end the year on!